Tag: #Michigansunsets

Theoretical tirade…

The sun sets on another day…

I rushed to sunset tonight expecting a spectacular light show. Sunset was good but the clouds kept it from being what I expected. Instead, I got subtle beauty and stunning shadows. I still enjoyed every moment.

I get a kick when people go off on tirades. It’s always fun to see someone so sure of everything that they obviously can’t be sure. With that in mind and everything else going on I thought I would immerse myself into a bit of a tirade.

A tirade by definition is somewhat negative. It is a treatise about something usually with anger associated and perhaps a little more. So, my tirade today is “are you living your best life and if not why not?” I’m not saying I’m living my perfect life, but it is pretty good. I think we all have levels that we want to achieve and if we set our goals correctly, we should be able to reach them. I’m not saying that we should set our goals to become president tomorrow, but we can set a goal to eventually run for president. I’m not saying we should set a goal to retire next week but we can set a goal that is realistic and make it happen. Those things are all about the future but why aren’t we living our best days today? Here we are sitting in a fantastic series of events, and we keep little things in our armor that eventually force us to be less than we can possibly be. It is our right, no it is our absolute necessity to be the best that we can be and live as powerfully as we can. Sure, I know people that are going to say that’s not true and that we should whine and complain and generally not enjoy any moment of our life. That is pure crap. It’s time for us to take control of ourselves and if we bring the rest of the world along with us, great. If they are unwilling or unable to come, we have to step forward and be the best that we can be. We have to be the best for ourselves and it’s up to you to be that.

You know there are times that life is just overwhelming. I’ve been in many of them. That’s when we rely on friends and let those friends lift us up. In spite of what our egos believe we cannot do it all and we cannot save everyone. Let that sink in for a second, we cannot do it all and we cannot save everyone. It’s time for you to save yourself, and time for me to do the same. We all have to find that path that takes us the direction we want to be and in theory we will live a fantastic life. In theory we won’t need theories, we will have a clear path.

So as the sun sets on another day, Wow what a day. Pepper and I enjoyed sunset, and I will always enjoy the moments that I can. Keep being you and push the envelope when you need to. There’s a big envelope out there and we just need to keep on trucking to make our world complete.

Sleep sweet, love life, and theories are good…

A chill in the air…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was again in the clouds as snow sprayed from time to time during the day. It was a pretty day in many ways, but there was a bit of cold as well.

A poem to consider for the day:

A Chill in the Air

There’s a chill in the air and I feel it inside
It isn’t just cold, but chilling my mind
The wind blows across me, it strips out my soul
and I cannot know whether I’m young or I’m old

There’s a chill in the air and its easy to see
There’s a darkness in him and a darkness in me
the chill is a fever that she feels as well
as we all find a path to our own special hell

There’s a chill in the air and it goes far and wide
The feeling is deeper than most can abide
They hide from the chill and are lost from their way
As the chill in the air makes them all obey

There’s a chill in the air, now you see it to
The chill is a portion of me and of you
It grows from our fears and the doubt we can feel
It finds home in ignorance and the surety unreal

There’s a chill in the air, and I feel it inside
It isn’t just cold, and none can abide
For when the chill covers all, it won’t be easy to dare
Because the chill that we feel is not from the air

So as the sun sets on another day, I hope you have a terrific eve, and I hope the chill works out of the air eventually, no matter what.


Sleep sweet, love life, and be you…

Sproing…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was a series of thoughts, ideas, and colorful skies. Since I was driving the picture does not do it justice. Instead they just remind us all of a special day.

Sometimes everything is just on overload. There is something great happening and something else springs into the way. It seems like every day that happens. We have an event, followed by an event, followed by yet another event, with all of them tied into an event. It’s a fast way to get confused on what is necessary and what is happening. I wouldn’t blame you if you screamed loudly and danced around like a reptile when too much is on your plate.

Get ready for this, it can also be a good thing. There is no better sense of accomplishment then digging yourself out of a hole that you didn’t necessarily make. Things like this happen all the time because life is pretty complicated. It really seems as we need some bigger wins from time to time, or at least some of us do.

As I drove from one event leaving a series of great people on my way to another event to meet a series of great people I talked to another group on the phone which they too were great people. It makes you wonder how much complexity we can take. I know I am in the middle of it a lot and it works out. I have a tendency to talk to people and then to more people. On the way I get things done.

How do you handle things? Does pure chaos drive you crazy or does pure chaos drive you to new levels of success? do you find yourself feeling good about life when it is a little crazy? Or do you find yourself feeling good about life and making a difference?

Don’t matter who you are I hope that you find happiness in the middle of chaos and order. There is no way we can make sure our days are perfect but we certainly can make them pretty darn good if we try.

So as the sun sets on another day, today sproing up on me and in the process I ended up having a good time. I hope you did as well and made your day the best it could possibly be. After all if today is a good day it’s a great step making tomorrow an even better one, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and be alive….

Situations…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset wandered down the western sky, oblivious of me and all who watched. The light it cast created a little peace and an amazing feeling of more.

I have said many times I like movies. Today I spent the day removing a tree that had decided the wind was too much for it. I cut and cut and enjoyed the moments. Later, I watched a movie and was lost in it for a short time. The plot revolved around multiple misconceptions and assumptions, and that in itself meant something.

Often we (people) determine a situation based on our bias. We decide guilt or innocence, good or bad, and a variety of other items just based on how we interpret a situation. I will only take a moment to say this does not work.

Many have said over history not to judge unless you have walked in someone’s shoes, and this simple statement says a great deal about how we should approach the world. After all, our bias is built on our experience, but we cannot possibly understand all points of view, even if we have walked many. I ask that we take a moment and not judge and instead find empathy to understand or at least listen.

Sounds good, find empathy, and make good choices.

So as the sun sets on another day, be that person who listens. Be that person who tries to find common ground. Be that person who believes in more than your limited viewpoints and instead knows the world is full of diverse perspectives and experiences. Mostly, be that person who tries to find the right, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and shhhh…

Just a picture…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was somewhere beyond spectacular and I enjoyed every moment as the sky was lit up with solar fireworks.

I’m going to take just a moment today and let the pictures speak for themselves. Take a moment to yourself and realize how wonderful you are. Then believe in you because you are amazing.

So as the sun sets on another day, keep believing and enjoy every sunset that you can, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and be amazing…

Spindles and spokes…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was amazing and I watched from the top of a hill and considered all the things that I rely on and all the people who make life easier.

If you think about a bicycle tire you know that little tiny pieces of metal hold up the tire and that tire with all of its little pieces of metal can hold up a monster like me. If you think about a railing and the little spindles that support it all you’ll see that something small can truly have a big impact.

I considered this for a little while this evening and also thought about how many things and people support us all on a daily basis. Retailers have known this for years. If you don’t cater to your customers and instead cater to yourself eventually you will have no business. Grocery stores do this to the nth degree and are constantly adapting to the changes in the market and the needs of the people.

What about little people? No I’m not talking about something from Darby O’Gill but instead us normal people that get by day by day? What supports us?

Consider for a moment all the things we rely on each day. From electricity to a simple pen or pencil down to even the air we breathe we don’t often notice those wonderful things that are a foundation in our daily lives. I’m not sure if it will make your day any better but I would like you to take a moment and just consider all the things that support you in this very instant. That includes the internet and several sites that you probably went through to get here.

Take a deep breath. It’s all good.

So as the sun sets on another day , I would like to think that if we start paying attention to the little things in our lives perhaps we would be thankful for all that we are truly have everyday. Perhaps I live in a dream world, but at least I know everyone here. Perhaps the world is a playground that we haven’t fully taken advantage of and made our own. Perhaps we just need to smile a little and laugh a little and not take it all so seriously. In the end it is our choice to have a good day or a bad day with or without all the little things that help us. Let’s make today the best day ever, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and where is my bike…

A question of…

The sun sets on antoher day…

The sky was filled with chilled color as fall embraced us with its icy grip. I smiled a little at it all, and laughed at the wonderment.

When you think about 29,000 sunsets what do you think about? I hope you take a moment and think about time. Everything is actually a question of time, right?

I’ve stated many times the purpose of 29,000 sunsets was to get people to think about living for each day. Can’t we take a step back for just a moment and realize that waiting for tomorrow or next week or next month becomes a vaporous mound of silliness. Yes I said silliness.

We seriously need to take the time to understand that if today were all we had we would live our life to the fullest and we often think that we are guaranteed days, weeks, or more.

It is with a pure heart that I ask all of you to have a great day. Not just a good day or a day but have the best day that you can. Call someone special, do something special, be someone special, it’s all the same. We have an opportunity to be positive and live a positive life, don’t we owe it to ourselves to do so?

So as the sun sets on another day, make the best of every day and please make the best of today. I think you’re worth it, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and get to living…

Take my breath away…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was cool and crisp and covered in colors. I was at an open mic night and saw it from a distance but enjoyed every instant.

It’s nice when you hear good things and even nicer when people tell you good things just because. Tonight while at an open mic night in Grand Rapids I read a story from a soon to be published book. The story was about a woman who was trapped at the bottom of the lake and was trying to figure out how to get out of her sealed car and not drown. The story is tense yet funny and explores fear with a great deal of imagery and the look inside of the mind of someone facing death.

My two great things for today was the person after my reading to walk up to me to tell me they found themselves holding their breath as I was reading and the person who has listened to the audiobook for Vengeful Son and loved it.

It is spectacular and amazing when people recognize you for your work. It’s even more spectacular when you can touch a heart with either positive patience or other emotions, like fear and apprehension. I only hope I can continue to move people in one way or another.

So as the sun sets on another day for anyone who has made my day thank you and for all of you just reading you make my day, everyday, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and be amazing.

Well mostly…

The sun sets on another day…

I missed tonight as I considered the rain falling opn my car and driving to the beach. Instead I watched colors dance in the woods as the sky parted for only a moment, lighting a path to the west.

I was thinking tonight about the movie “Aliens”. A fun movie to be sure, but there are numerous lines that stand out and if you listen, can make you think a little about life. During the movie there is a poortion where a ship crashes and a series of survivors are left on the planet. A small girl warns them all that they should go back to the base and notes “they mostly come at night, mostly”. It is the softness of the last statement that resonates like thunder.

With that in mind we should always take the path of “mostly”.

We may even wanna think about it more pointedly and try to decide if even mostly is enough. There are times when we know there are things that may affect us negatively but with a little bit of a sidestep, we can overcome almost anything, mostly. With a little bit of positivity, we can do even better, mostly. With a friend, we can step out above everyone else, mostly.

My point is there’s no such thing as a sure thing, but there is a level of positivity that we can have that will protect us mostly. That positivity can be a guide if not a beacon to others to let them know the world cannot get us down, mostly.

So as the sun sets on another day, it’s OK to know that everything may not align exactly the way we want it. At the same time, let’s take a moment and look at how much we have and realize they didn’t spite of the doubts we have a pretty good path. Choose well and keep making the world yours, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love deeply, mostly…

Words and stings…

The sun sets on another day…

Well, wow. Sunset was a swirling malestrom of color as the sun shattered the western sky. I smiled as I saw the light cascade across the horizon.

I start you with a poem:

“Sticks and stones are hard on bones, Aimed with angry art, Words can sting like anything But silence breaks the heart.”

Of course, my first statement is about sticks and stones breaking your bones, don’t use sticks and stones to break people’s bones. It would be a bad thing.

Words can sting like anything is a unique phrase. This particular poem has been heavily quoted for years and years. I first read it when I was relatively young and considered the pain that words often inflict. This can be either directed pain, or it can be pain caused by words unknowingly. It is important to consider our words in how they affect other people, and just as important to consider our silence.

As I have grown older, I have found many people I interact with consistently, and some of them I have hurt inadvertently by either my use of words or my lack of words. I have found that if I take a moment and consider what I’m about to say or why I am not responding, I will find my answers. We all have that opportunity, and because words can sting like anything, we need to take the time to choose our words wisely.

I remember a discussion with someone so excited that I actually fought for them as if it were yesterday. I put myself in a precarious situation to protect someone’s honor and self, and it was only a short time later that that person disappeared from my life. There were words that stung hard and a silence that stung just as hard. I often wonder where that person is now and how they are doing.

I will also never forget the words “That’s not going to work for me” when I struggled to meet halfway only to be pushed in a corner in favor of someone elses needs. Those words will sting always.

So as the sun sets on another day, the weapon no one sees is the wildly wieldy voice that shatters the world. I hope you always find the right words not to be a weapon but instead lift people, including yourself. Thanks for being you every day, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and shhhhh